In July, BBC Bristol (list) ran a story stating that domestic violence cost the city £28 million and that 8,000 women had been victims in the last few years.
To be fair to the BBC (though they had the usual picture of a man attacking a woman), this was based on a release (link) and a study (link) commissioned by Bristol City Council's Social Development Scrutiny Committee in Feb/Mar 2007.
The extent that male victims are ignored in the study can be clearly seen by these quotes in the report:-
"From national research (Walby & Allen, Home Office 2004), it is estimated that in Bristol there are nearly 40,000 women aged between 16 & 59 who have experienced some form of DVA. It is a problem which affects at least 1 in 4 women at some point in their lives, as well as some men." The figure for men produced by Walby & Allen in the same Home Office report is 1 in 6 men (ie 40% of victims are men) so "as well as some men" shows a frivilous and almost begrudging recognition that Bristol men could be victims. It fails to give councillors the 1 in 6 figure, a crucial and purposely made ommission. "Service providers in all sectors should ensure that access thresholds are set at realistic and consistent levels to ensure that women and children experiencing DVA are not excluded." No mention of male victims, of course. The following figures represent the costs of domestic violence towards women only...As the figures do not include DVA against heterosexual or gay men, they can be presumed to be an underestimate. What is the point of producing figures if they do not include men, It would not take much more effort to include men. The Commission recommends that the following needs identified by Scrutiny Commission witnesses should be addressed as priorities in any strategy process. Special attention to needs of : • BME communities • Same-sex relationships • Disabled people • Children • Genuine male victims Could you imageine any DV report stating 'Genuine Female Victims', again a begrudging off hand attitude. Some agencies do not recognise that a small number of men are victims of domestic violence and abuse, and agencies are not trained to distinguish genuine male victims from male perpetrators claiming to be victims themselves. Again, imagine a report stating that agencies could not recognise genuine female victims. This committee report whilst being forced to admit that male victims do exist in Bristol, its whole approach is off-hand, begrudging and it purposley ignored studying the impact on men and their families. A biased report in other words. Bristol male victims do not need to hold their breath for support from their council (see Men's Aid's conversation with Bristol Council here link).
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